By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2007-12-18 08:30
An annual survey
This past year of 2007 was again an eventful one in the world of energy. There were new trends, evolving markets, and important breakthroughs. The following 11 highlights stood out:
1) 4th IPCC Assessment Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its 4th Assessment Report. One of its most striking conclusions is that we don’t have to wait for miracles or ingenious new solutions. The technologies, policies, and measures needed to mitigate climate change are known and doable. They just need to be applied.
With this 4th report, the IPCC has confirmed that there is a consensus among experts on what we know about climate change, how serious the earth’s situation may be, and what we can do to mitigate the phenomenon. Its efforts were rewarded with this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, shared with the mediagenic Al Gore.
Read full story
By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2007-09-06 07:30
Growing interest from big corporate players and investor funds
Batteries have joined photovoltaic systems and biofuels as the latest heartthrob of venture capitalists. The battery market has got the full attention of major corporate players and venture capital funds. In 2006 alone, more than $100 million of venture investments were made in the battery sector. The innovative battery company A123 Systems, for example, received huge injections of cash and technology from General Electric, Motorola, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm, and a number of key venture capital funds. The driver for this battery market boom is the expectation of robust growth in electric vehicles.
Read full story
